History has witnessed many declarations of independence.
But in today’s interconnected world we might
propose a new “Declaration of Inter-dependence” — a
recognition that the economic welfare of each individual
country increasingly depends on access to the rest of
the world through broadband Internet.

At ITU and the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) we created the
Broadband Commission for Digital Development in May
2010 because we firmly believed — and continue to believe
— that broadband represents a unique, once-in-ageneration
opportunity to drive social and economic development,
and to help us accelerate progress towards
meeting the United Nations Millennium Development
Goals by 2015.

At our third meeting in Paris in June 2011, we
adopted our second report (see Broadband Commission marks progress). Entitled
“Broadband: a Platform for Progress”, the report advocates
a coordinated nationwide approach to broadband
development that more closely resembles the development
of national railway or electricity networks than
the more laissez-faire, market-driven approach that has
generally characterized the roll-out of mobile cellular
technology.

Just before our gathering in Paris, I was pleased
to note that the G8 Summit, held in Deauville, France,
on 26–27 May 2011, drew from the first Broadband
Commission’s report, delivered to the United Nations
Secretary-General in September 2010, and actively recognized
the importance of broadband. Article 14 of the
latest G8 Declaration confirms that broadband Internet
access is an essential infrastructure for participation in
today’s economy, and states:

“In order to benefit fully from the digital economy,
we need to seize emerging opportunities, such as cloud
computing, social networking and citizen publications,
which are driving innovation and enabling growth in
our societies.”

Broadband really has risen to the top of national
agendas since the Commission was formed. We have
published two very powerful reports. Now it is time to
move from theory into practice. We must focus on concrete
projects — real on-the-ground initiatives and innovative
grass-roots solutions.